Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2008) - Montserrat (2006)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2008) z Montserrat (2006)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)	Montserrat (2006)

Administrative divisions	-	3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 23.3% (male 1,125/female 1,079) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,957/female 3,245) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 532/female 501) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products
Airports	1 (2007)	2 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)	total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Area	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands	total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possesion of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.
Birth rate	-	17.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million; including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.)
Capital	-	name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 44 N, 62 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	698 km	40 km
Constitution	-	effective 19 December 1989
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat
Death rate	-	7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	-	$8.9 million (1997)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London	overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)
Economy - overview	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.	Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	1.86 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	2 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)
Environment - current issues	NA	land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
Ethnic groups	-	black, white
Exchange rates	-	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister
Exports	-	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	-	electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle
Exports - partners	-	US, Antigua and Barbuda (2004)
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 5.4% industry: 13.6% services: 81% (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	-1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E	16 45 N, 62 12 W
Geography - note	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility	the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	-	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials
Imports - partners	-	US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2004)
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.6% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	-	Caricom, CDB, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	NA
Judicial branch	-	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)
Labor force	-	4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005)
Languages	-	English
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	English common law and statutory law
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 78.85 years male: 76.67 years female: 81.14 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.)
Location	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Political Map of the World	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	-	no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005)
National holiday	-	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality	-	noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian
Natural hazards	NA	severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia	9,439 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	1.05% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	-	Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)	general assessment: modern and fully digitalized domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	70 (1994)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)	volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Total fertility rate	-	1.77 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	6% (1998 est.)

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